Fungi Outer Hebrides


Phylum: Ascomycota   Family: Onygenaceae

Onygena equina (Willd.) Pers.

Horn Stalkball

"There are two Onygena species in Britain: O. equina which usually occurs on rotting sheep horns and horse hooves, and O. corvina, found on decaying feathers and bird skulls. They are a few millimetres tall and the more obvious members of a small group of keratinophiles (fungi that are able to degrade keratin), the others being microfungi.

Over time, the fungus has declined as farm hygiene and the disposal of dead animals has been improved. Its current conservation statu

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